Nervous for Nothing
by ff-plus-books-equals-life
Summary: Ali and Jack's story a couple weeks after the movie. I'm not sure if I will continue this or keep it a one-shot but let me know what you think with a review.
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone, I had a little idea while I was watching Burlesque today and thought I would write about it. Right now it is just a one-shot but I have a few more ideas if anyone is interested in a short multi-chapter fic. So, review and let me know what you think.

 **Disclaimer:** **I don't own the Burlesque movie or its characters.**

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"What about this one?" Ali said holding up another outfit. Clothes were thrown all around the room by Ali trying to fond an outfit.

"They all look amazing. It doesn't matter what you are wearing she will love you anyways, I know it."

"Jack, you are no help! I can't just wear anything. I really want her to like me." Ali said exasperated.

"And she will. Trust me. Now put on your favourite outfit and we'll go." Jack said. He walked over and kissed her temple.

15 Minutes later they were in Ali's car (since Jack still had his motorcycle) and on their way to a small bistro in the heart of L.A.

Looking out the window, Ali reminisced about how her life has become what it has. Just a few weeks ago, she was helping Tess save the club and her life has only gotten better since. After the big performance, Ali and Jack made up and have been madly in love ever since.

And today they were on their way to lunch with Jack's mother.

They pulled up outside the restaurant. Jack got out of the car and went around and opened Ali's door.

"Listen, just be yourself and she will love you!"

"I just don't want to mess this up."

"And you won't. I love you." They shared a kiss and walked inside.

Jack spotted her immediately, and they walked over to her.

"Jack!" she exclaimed. She ran the rest of the way to them and hugged Jack. She hadn't seen him in years and was beyond excited. When he told her that he wanted to introduce her new girl she was beyond excited. The way he talked about Ali, she knew that this was the girl for him. When she had met Natalie, she was not a fan. But, she put a smile in her face and was supportive of Jack.

"And you must be Ali," said shaking Ali's hand.

They all sat down and a waiter was soon over to get their drink orders.

"So Ali, Jack told me that you are the star of the club."

"Oh hardly."

"Come on Ali, Tess built the show around you when she heard you sing. I still remember that day. Everyone was absolutely speechless afterwards."

"Wow, I would love to hear you sing sometime Ali."

They all made small talk throughout the meal and found themselves continuing to talk after too. Ali felt completely comfortable around Jack's mom and they got along great.

When Jack looked at his watch he realized it was getting late and they both had to get to the club soon or Tess wouldn't be happy.

"Mom I'm sorry to say this but me and Ali have to get going, we have to be at the club soon."

"Oh Jack don't worry about it, I'm just going to go sight seeing for a bit, and maybe I'll pop into the club later."

"That would be wonderful if you did, we are doing one of my favourite sets tonight." Ali said.

"If you do, stop by the bar and say hi to me, that is if you can peel your eyes off of Ali for long enough."

"Oh Jack," Ali said, a slight blush creeping up her neck.

"Well, it was nice meeting you Ali, I would love to get together again while I'm here if you guys aren't too busy."

"Not at all, and it was nice meeting you too." With that they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, Ali and Jack to the club, and Mrs. Miller to Sunset Boulevard for sightseeing.

When they arrived at the club, Ali went straight to the back to get changed and do her hair, and Jack went to the bar to start setting up.

Ali was just finishing up her makeup when Jack came up behind her and kissed her cheek.

"I told you she'd love you, I don't know what you were so worried about."

"Shut up," Ali said turning around in her seat and kissing Jack. After a not so innocent kiss, Sean walked in and started whistling. They separated laughing, knowing just who would do that.

"I'll come see you later," Ali whispered and turned back around to finish her make up.

 **A/N: So what did you think? Review and let me know. Once again, if I get some interest in this story I can continue it.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 **Jack's POV**

The club is packed tonight. It has been ever since Ali started singing. Everyone comes to hear her. They changed the show so it's a different set every night of the week and it gets slightly altered every other week so that people can continue to come back and not see the same show. Tonight features some of Ali's favorites. Mostly it has songs that I wrote. Tess worked out a deal that for every song that I write that works she gives me a bonus. With the club doing as well as it is, Ali and I are doing pretty well for ourselves, and growing up where we did we both don't take it for granted.

Ali just finished Big Spender, a burlesque classic and I couldn't keep my eyes off of her. I haven't been much help at the bar lately. I never can keep my eyes off her.

Coco and Georgia take the stage to give Ali a chance to rest her voice and get changed. I turned back around to make some drinks when I heard a familiar voice.

"You weren't kidding when you said she was amazing."

"Everyone comes just to see her...What can I get for you mom, it's on me."

"Just a glass of chardonnay will be fine."

"Did you see all the sights you wanted to?" I ask while pouring her wine.

"I saw most of them."

"Ali and I can take you on a tour sometime if you like."

"Sure, that would be great.'

We continued talking while I made drinks for the waitresses to deliver. It was almost intermission and I was hoping Ali would join me down at the bar.

 **Ali's POV**

I just finished Big Spender, one of my favorites, and went back to my station to change. Coco, Georgia and some of the other girls went on for Dr. Longjohn which gave me time to change. After their number it will be intermission which is about 10-15 minutes long. Sometimes I go down to the bar and others I stay back here and relax.

I just finished changing into my next outfit for the number after intermission. I put my hair up into my wig and decided I would go spend my break with Jack. By this time intermission had started and there were usually a lot of people walking around. To avoid everyone I decided to go the long way to get to the bar. I had to go down a bunch of hallways instead of walking through the club but atleast it was quiet.

Well until I saw him. Marcus. I hadn't seen him since I was at his house when he picked me up from Sean's. The day Natalie had shown up.

He looked angry.

"Ali! Just who I was looking for."

"Marcus," I said.

"How have you been?

"I'm alright, you?" I said trying to be civil. In all reality Marcus is the last person I want to be seeing right now.

"I've been better. You know, I was not impressed when I heard Tess got money to pay the banks and is keeping the club. I had a lot of plans for this club and they were all dumped down the drain."

"Well, I'm sorry you didn't get your dream building but this club is her baby, I think you can understand why she didn't give it up."

"No, I really can't."

"Well thats too bad, but everyone who works here is like my family so I'm sorry that I don't have much sympathy for you." That didn't make him happy. I saw Marcus get even more angry. He slowly got closer to me and I instinctively backed up. He kept getting closer until I was pressed up against a wall and he was about 2 inches away from my face. It was then that I could smell the alcohol coming off his breath. He was clearly drunk.

 **Jack's POV**

I guess Ali decided to stay in the back during intermission today. I don't blame her the club is packed tonight and she probably needed some peace and quiet. I check my watch and it's been about 25 minutes. The second half of the show should have started already. The bar has been so busy that I didn't even realize.

"Jack, have you seen Ali?" Sean asks. He must be looking for her.

"No, I thought she stayed in the back. Where could she be? Aiden cover the bar!" I yelled I walked out from behind the bar.

"Wow Jack, relax, she's probably in the bathroom. I just thought I would check here first incase you two lost track of time in each other's mouths."

"Come on Sean, you and I both know Ali isn't late for her numbers. I'm helping you find her."

 **Ali's POV**

"Marcus, please let go of me." I was scared. Marcus now had me pinned against the wall. He had my arms in a vice grip and I couldn't get out. I was at a loss for what to do.

"Why? So you can run to that bartender who wears more eyeliner than Nikki? What is he going to do?"

"Marcus please, I'm going to be late for my number." I didn't want to delay the show. Tess would be pissed at me.

"No, after everything I did for you. I had producers come meet you just so I could get a chance to get you in bed. And this is how you repay me, telling Tess my plan. I could have made millions, and instead I got distracted by you. Ya know you aren't even that good I just expected you to be easy like the rest of the girls here. But, you are far worse than everyone else. You're a slut, jumping from that loser guy to me and right into someone else's bed." By this point I gave up, everything he said I had been fearing for awhile now. I had tears streaming down my face. I was barely holding it together.

"See, you have nothing to say for yourself. I must be spot on, just a nobody from nowhere."

"Marcus, please, you're hurting me, please, stop" I managed to whisper.

"NO, YOU BITCH!" He yelled before slamming me back into the wall. I heard a crack and fell to the ground from the impact. All I felt was pain in my head. A constant throb that overpowered my hearing.

 **Jack's POV**

Me and Sean had covered most of the club with no luck. Tess had eventually gone on to keep the show going.

We were heading back to the bar with the last strand of my hope barely holding on. That's when I heard it. The sound of someone yelling and a girl crying and whimpering. But not just any girl. Ali.

I ran to where the noise was coming from. By the time we got there, I saw Ali on the ground holding her head and Marcus standing over yelling at her.

I walked straight to him and punched him. I didn't stop until Sean put his hand on my shoulder. It was like I was snapped out of a daze. I looked down and saw a bloody Marcus, struggling for consciousness. I immediately walked over to Ali. She was still in the same position as when we first got there. Sitting against the wall, her knees up to her chest and she was holding her head.

"Ali," I said quietly trying to get her attention. She didn't look up so I tried again.

"Ali," I said a little louder.

She looked up with fear in her eyes. Her hands never leaving her ears. It took her a second and then she realized it was me.

"Jack," she croaked out. I bent down and picked her up. She put her head against my chest and started sobbing. I carried her straight out into the parking lot and to our car.

I forgot Sean was there until he opened the car door for me so I could place her in the seat. I sat her down and she grabbed my hand, terrified that I would let her go.

"Ali, I'm not going anywhere."

I turned around to see Sean still standing there.

"What can I do?" He asked me.

"First, call the damn cops and have that asshole arrested."

"Ok, can I get anything for her?"

"Yea, yea, get her stuff from her station, tell Tess, and maybe grab a bottle of water."

"Ok, be back in 10 tops." With that he ran back for the club. I turned my attention back to Ali. While I was talking to Sean she had gone back to holding her head.

"Ali, can you tell me what's wrong, did he hurt you?" She only nods.

"Okay, what hurts?" She looks at me and for the first time I notice that she never stopped crying.

"My head," she whispers.

"Ok, where?"

"Everywhere, and I have a massive headache."

"Ok, anything else?" She shakes her head slightly.

"Alright." Sean comes running out at that moment with Ali's bag and Tess in tow.

"Is she alright?" Tess asks.

"I'm not sure right now."

"Take care of her, I'll come check on her later."

"Ok," Sean hands me her things and Tess runs back for the club, she still has a show to finish.

"Listen Jack, when I went back in, I went to see if Marcus was still there and that's when I realized some glass was cracked and had blood on it." I could feel the blood drain from my face. I turned back to Ali.

"Ali, sweetie, I need to look at your head for a second." And sure enough, after some careful maneuvering Ali had a cut on the back of her head that looked pretty bad.

"Sean, I'm going to take her to the hospital, tell Tess i'll keep her updated. You two will be the first to know."

"Alright."

I got Ali into a somewhat comfortable position and drove her to the hospital as fast as I could. When we got there I carried her inside and someone immediately got her a gurney. We were brought to a room and I told them everything I knew that happened.

Through everything I felt terrible for Ali. Every doctor and Nurse that came in and tried to touch her she jumped and freaked out. The doctor said she was just in shock but that didn't make it any better.

But soon enough, we were being discharged and on our way home. Ali had to get a couple stitches but other than some shock and bruising on her arms she'll be alright. At Least that's what the doctor said.

We were soon home. I helped her change into some pajamas and get into bed. I told her i would be right back before making my way to the kitchen. I got out two glasses and filled them with water. I looked down and drank some. This was the first time I stopped to think about everything that has happened. I gave myself a whole 20 seconds before picking up the phone and calling Sean and Tess. They both were so worried about her. They promised they would stop by tomorrow.

I picked up the glasses and made my way back to the bedroom. I put on some sweatpants, pulled off my shirt and climbed into bed.

"Ali," I whispered. She rolled over and looked at me with her big, sad eyes.

"I was so scared, I didn't know what to do." She whispered with more tears streaming down her face.

"Oh, Ali, its alright. It's over now and I won't let him hurt you again." I said while pulling her into my chest.

And that is how we fell asleep. Me holding her, while she cried her self to sleep, and I followed shortly after, both of us exhausted from today's events.

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 **A/N: So I couldn't get this idea out of my head and had to write about it. I plan to have another chapter or two after this one. I know Burlesque is kind of old at this point and nobody really reads these fanfics but I'm still going to write this for those of there out there who love it just as much as I do. Review and let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: This is a bit of a shorter chapter but I was struggling a bit with it and just had to write it. Anyways, let me know what you think of it. And I plan to have about 3-5 more chapters in this story depending on the length of them.**

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Chapter 3

 **Jack's POV**

I woke up and Ali was still asleep. It was early and after everything that happened last night, she needs her sleep. I got up and turned on the coffee machine, using some of the instant coffee instead of grinding fresh beans. I want to let Ali sleep for as long as possible.

After coffee, I hop in the shower, while scrubbing my body I think about what happened last night. I don't know why Marcus was so mad at Ali, and what he said to her. I don't know if I ever will know because I don't want to make Ali relive it if she doesn't have to. I get out of the shower, dry off and wrap the towel around my waist.

I walk into our bedroom to get dressed and notice Ali not in bed anymore. I look in the living room and see that she is sitting on the couch. I get dressed and walk out to see her.

"Hey," I say.

"Hey," she says back while putting a magazine down.

"What would you like for breakfast, I can cook something or we can go out if you are feeling up to it."

"No, I still need to shower and change and I'd rather just stay in."

"Alright no problem, let me see what we have," I said walking over to the fridge,"Well I can make eggs or we have the ingredients for pancakes...what do you feel like."

"Well I'm not very hungry, but maybe some strawberry pancakes if we have strawberries."

"Yep, I'll start it now."

"Ok, I'm going to go in the shower then."

"Ok."

 **Ali's POV**

I grab a towel from the closet and walk into the bathroom. I look in the mirror and I look like a mess. I have makeup smeared down my face from crying and sleeping with it on. My hair is a giant mess. And to top it all off I have bruises all over my arms. I feel gross. The way Marcus grabbed me yesterday and everything that happened comes flooding back. Everything that he called me: slut, whore, ugly, untalented. They all circle in my head. A few new ones are added to the list when I look in the mirror. Fat, worthless, easy. I look away and go in the shower. That's when I let myself full on cry. The sound of the water masking my sobs. I sit on the floor of the bathtub and sob. The worst part is that everything Marcus said, is something I feared at one time or another.

I remember when Tess said that she thought I was spreading myself a little thin. Her exact words were "Don't you think you're spreading yourself a little thin….Jack, Marcus, whoever?"

On top of that, wearing skimpy outfits on a stage with bright lights and hundreds of people seeing you on any given week, you have to feel confident in your body. I was always quite confident in my body until Marcus said that to me. Seeing myself in the mirror with the ugly bruises, I can easily how he and others see that I am ugly, under all my makeup and fake lashes, it's me. Plain, boring Ali from Iowa. And there really isn't anything special about me.

 **Jack's POV**

I finish making the pancakes and Ali still isn't out of the shower. I decide to go check on her. I go up to the bathroom door and am about to knock when I hear quiet sobs coming from inside. I walk inside to see Ali sitting on the floor of the bathroom sobbing.

"Ali, are you alright?" It's like she is snapped out of a daze. She looks over at me with obvious tears streaming down her face, despite the water from the shower.

She looked at me and simply shook her head. I reached over and turned off the shower. I grabbed a towel, wrapped her up and picked her up. Sitting on the floor, I help Ali while she cried. When her sobs subsided, I asked, " Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not Really," she said quietly, " But you deserve to know."

"No, if you aren't ready i-" I'm cut off by her.

"I need to, or I'm not sure if I ever will be ready."

"Okay, if you need to stop though, know that you can."

"Ok, I just finished my number and got changed and by that time it was intermission. I wanted to come see you but I knew the club was packed so I took the back hallways around to the bar. Well, on my way, I ran into Marcus and he started asking me questions. When I told him I had to leave he wasn't happy and started backing me into a wall. He grabbed my wrists and wouldn't let me go. He started yelling at me and I realized he was drunk. I could smell it on his breath. Eventually he got so angry with me that he bashed my head against the wall and I think that's when you showed up. But the worst part was when he was yelling at me. He called me things and names and-" I heard her choke down her sob. I held her tighter against me waiting to see if she would continue.

"And I believe him," it came out quietly but I still heard it. She broke down again and was sobbing into my chest. I whispered soothing words into her ear until she calmed down.

"Ali, what did he call you?"

"Ugly, untalented, slut, you name it he called me it. And why doubt it, I'm everything he called me."

"You may be stubborn but you are beautiful, amazingly talented and nowhere near a slut."

"Tess and Sean and practically everyone at the club think I'm a slut, and I'm starting to think I am too."

"Ali, don't fall down that hole, once you do, it will be so hard for you to get back out. Everyone at the club was simply worried about you, nothing more. Now, my beautiful girlfriend, lets have some breakfast." And with that we got up, Ali got dressed and after heating up the pancakes, we ate breakfast. And all I could think of was how much I'm going to have to keep reminding Ali of how perfect she really is.


End file.
